Othon Lab
Soft Condensed Matter and Biophysics
Nature has many mechanisms for regulating self-assembly and stability that are mediated by bulk material properties. Our laboratory focuses on the measurement of solvent dynamics and understanding the physical processes behind biological structural assembly. The study of dynamic regulatory processes requires sensitive time-resolved and high-resolution techniques which have only recently become available and represent the future of quantitative biophysics. Our work is highly interdisciplinary and we welcome collaboration with students and faculty from all backgrounds.
My research centers upon the role of solvent interactions and collective motion on biological self-assembly and selectivity. We have focused on two fluid systems in biology: Hydration dynamics and Collective Motion in Lipid Structures. Our research has demonstrated that small molecules can dramatically impact the overall dynamical freedom of liquids in crowded biological systems and that this dynamical regulation can be used to counteract environmental stress.
The teacher-scholar model is central to the physics program at Ripon, and we have integrated our experience with advanced laser spectroscopy into the physics curriculum. We incorporate our research into the coursework throughout our program, and have designed two new integrative courses to serve students throughout the sciences at Ripon College. Biophysics and Biomaterials is a topical introduction to thermodynamics and soft matter as related to biological materials, the course is designed to help students recognize how physics is related to living systems beyond macroscopic dynamic motion. We have also developed an advanced laser spectroscopy course targeted at building applied experimental skills for physics, chemistry, and biology students, and in 2022 received a grant from the Reichardt Foundation to bring Quantum optics experiments to the classroom.
Students at Ripon College are also presented the opportunity to engage in cutting edge research from a very early stage in their careers. Students interested in exploring research opportunities are encouraged to reach out to the faculty.
